Went and had my endoscopy done today.

The doctor found "many" ulcers in my stomach. He also took three biopsies.

I was on Versed, and Demerol, but don't remember getting an answer to my question of "how many?".

Patty was there, watched the whole procedure. She said that there were several ulcers. She said more than three, though she wouldn't commit to an exact number. She also said the biopsies were SAP with all those ulcers present, not to worry.

I'm concerned, not worried.

I have never had any discomfort, any pain that one would associate with an ulcer. And if they take a biopsy, it's for a reason. It may be CYA, or he may have seen something that really needed to be investigated further.

He prescribed meds, said we could heal the ulcers in as little as eight weeks. But there will be no band placed until the ulcers are healed.

So, here I am, ever waiting, still ever hopeful, I can do this, I can heal the ulcers. I actually heal very well. Gotta stop the ibuprofen for the arthritis tho. They figger that's the bugger that gave me the ulcers.

Don't mean to dump, but I had to vent a little, somewhere. I'm going to take off work tomorrow, and go for a long leisurely ride all by myself. I'll ride to Lake Michigan. There's a different kind of healing there.

Amen to that. Lake Michigan is beautiful!

I'm really sorry you've got this current challenge, but better to clear that up than to be banded with it. I'm really glad you've had this procedure to make sure all is well BEFORE you got the band.

I hope your ride gives you some time to contemplate and sort it all out in your mind. In the meantime, we'll all be sending positive thoughts your direction. Please keep us posted.

Leatha

Hey Ryan soory to hear all of this..I would agree that the ibprofen can be the culprit. I had an ulcer with no pain and doc said it was from my daily dose of ADVIL...ulcer is all healed and I no longer take any NSAID's only tylenol

Better to find all of this now then to have problems after being banded right? You have a great attitude about all of this..it's just a little bump in the road is all. You will get your band Hang in there and keep us posted

Wishing those ulcers a speedy dissolve

Hi Ryan,

I just wanted to let you know that you are in my prayers and I hope you heal quickly. I agree that it is better to heal and be in the best condition possible prior to your banding.

I hope you get the healing you need during your trip to Lake Michigan.

Take care, thanks for sharing and keep us all posted.

Ryan, I'm so thankful that you have a dr. that is checking you out thoroughly. Ulcers are not anything to fool around with. Thank goodness you found out about this before your banding! This may postpone your surgery, but it's not stopping it. Please be careful in the types of food that you're eating. Spicey foods and alcohol will aggravate ulcers. This will be "repaired" and you'll be "back in the saddle". Take care and please don't get too discouraged. "This too shall pass." The peace and solitude at the lake are exactly what you need right now. Take care!

Ryan

Dump and Vent all you want. It's good your being positive.

Have a nice ride, my thoughts are with you.

Hey Ryan -

Like the others, I'm glad you found out about this prior to banding, and that everything will be thoroughly checked to make sure all is okay and healed before being banded. I know it feels like a set-back, but you have already started your journey - you just haven't gotten out of your neighborhood yet...

Wishing you peace and renewal on your trip to Lake Michigan. Heal swiftly, and gather strength for the exciting changes to come.

**hugs**

Speedy recovery to you Ryan.

You need to think about giving up those ibuprophen all togather. Find another pain killer anacin works for my husband. Ibuprofen raises your blood presure, causes bad indigestion, and can irritate ulcers. My husband knows from personnal experience.

Do you drink? My husbands friend did. He had a back ache that he could'nt get rid of and was taking tylenol everyday (probly too often) for it. He went to the Doc. feeling bad the Doc. took blood tests and told him it was just a matter of time. Two days later his friend died. This is a true story, it just happened a few months ago. The tylenol killed him the drinking caused him to be more vernerable.

Hi Ryan,

I too wish you a speedy recovery from these unknown little pests and send my best thoughts and wishes to you. We all have days we need to vent. Thank God we have this group of understanding souls, Teresa

Ryan - I am sorry you have to wait, but as all the others said, it's not over, it is just a small block and you will move that block and continue on your journey.

Lake Michigan, you sure brought back some memories with that. We used to go to Tower Hill all the time, climb that big hill and run back down. Oh, to have that energy now!

Yes, I think that would be a good place to go and gather your thoughts. It is a very calming place. When you get your thoughts back together, come and visit, we will be here for you.

We all need to have our hand held sometime or another. Just vent all you want to us, that is part of the reason for this board. It is not only meant for the good things that happen, it is meant for real support when things go wrong, or we get bad news, or we fall off our journey, or even if we have just had a bad day and we need a friend.

My thoughts are with you my friend, take care on that ride!

Betty

Ryan, I'm with everyone else in being glad for you that your ulcers were diagnosed now rather than later. That's what all the pretesting is for, people! Much better to find minor things now and have them treated than to have your surgeon discover something while you're on the table. Imagine waking up after all the preparation and fear, only to find that not only are you not banded but they discovered something ELSE is wrong! Brrr.

Have a great, mind-clearing time at the Lake. I'm jealous.

(((Ryan))), I hope you are on a soul soothing ride to the lake at this very moment. I agree that finding the problem now rather than later is good. I know you must feel frustrated by the added time, but those will be eight weeks well spent in getting your body 'band ready' which will lead to a healthier new you. Keep us posted, vent, laugh and love! We are always eager to hear from you.

Hi Ryan,

Just wanted to tell you that I used to take so much ibuprofen, I'd buy it in the industrial size container! It really worked so well to relieve pain, but it does tear up your stomach. I had to really think about not being able to take it anymore after I got banded.

It was a major consideration as to whether I would get the band or not. I wasn't sure I could do without it.

I was just like an ibuprofen junkie!

I don't have the stomach aches I used to get. I never paid that much attention to it back then, but I'm sure now that it must have been my "habit".

Anyway, enough about me, I know that you are disappointed about the delay in your surgery, but you do want to be healthy first. Finding this out really saved you alot of potential problems, your doctor is on the ball.

Get well, my friend, you're in my prayers.

Let us know about your trip, I can't wait to read your descriptive account. It will be a treat for us.

Well, some time has passed. I've had a chance to research these pesky little ulcers, the reasons for biopsy, and the causes of same.

It seems digestive tract ulcers can come in several forms and places. Mine are in the stomach and are not connected with stress, though a stressful life can make the symptoms worse, but since I have no symptoms that doesn't matter.

These stomach or gastric ulcers can be caused by NSAIDS, like Ibuprofen, which I have taken willy nilly for many years. Their onset can also be aided by lack of sleep, periods of not eating, and periods of overeating. All of which I am guilty.

It is common for these to be associated with stomach cancer. But the reason for the biopsies is to rule out a pesky little critter called H. Pylori. They cause about fifty percent of gastric ulcers in Americans.

I feel better for now I have something to fight. So I will fight.

Oh, I called in to work Friday to take my day to myself and ride to Lake Michigan. My request for the day off was denied. When I arrived to work I was mandated for the midnight shift. It's a prison, they can do that.

I worked eighteen hours straight. I got today off, but nearly slept the durn thing away. So no ride. I would have loved to have described it to you, told you of the wind and the sun as I rode.

I would have loved to tell you about the mist far out on the Water, making the ore carriers look ghostly in their oh so gradual progress. The gulls circling and heckling from above, affronted by my lack of bread crumbs to throw them.

The sand would have been warm beneath my feet after I took off my boots to walk the beach. The beach would have been all but deserted now that summer's over, and school is in. I would have walked and sit, and let the wind, water, sun, and the ever present rhythm of the waves, like the heartbeat of the world, soothe me, clear my head, re-anchor me as a citizen of a glorious planet.

I would have stood, eventually, replaced my socks and boots, sipped the last of my water and started up my bike. Then, with a large orange sun smiling behind me, I would have ridden the man made thunder. I would return home, a smile of triumph, and of sadness on my face. And in my eyes would be defiance, and not defeat.

And so, I await my banding, and in the meantime, I will fight. I will heal these ulcers, I will make my body strong again, I will do what I can, and what I must. All that awaits is the future, and it is mine, to do with as I please.

And for all of you, I wish the same. May you meet your challenges with fierceness, may you do what you must to ensure a brightened future. May your paths be straight and clear, may your journey to the band be excelled only by your journey with it.

Sorry to hear about the ulcers Ryan, but glad they found out before your band surgery. This is just a little detour. You'll be back on the road to bandland before you know it. Keep us posted.

Ryan, you may not feel like this right now...but it's possible that your band could have saved your life (before you even got it!). Unless you were pretesting, you wouldn't have even known that you had ulcers and they could have gotten to a lifethreatening condition before they were found! Follow through on these tests, get everything ruled out and/or repaired. Then get your band and continue on your journey to a healthier you. Dealing with an ill loved one is very stressful, even if you don't realize it. We don't want our loved ones to hurt or be seriously ill. We internalize our pain and it will show up eventually. I'm so thankful these were found before they became worse. My pretests revealed a bad gallbladder, numerous internal adhesions (from previous open-method ab surgery), and a tumor on my esophagus (that would have become cancerous). That tumor wouldn't have shown up unless a surgeon was looking in that specific area.

There's a reason for everything. Sometimes it just takes a while for us to know why. You'll get a clean bill of health, plus get your band! Now that's a pretty good deal!